Daily Republican., 1887-12-24
RAILROAD MEN srRRK Il.
and Reading Mon Go Out
as rort Bichmond-rhe Strike likely
20 DO Made q Gsncrai

Philadelphia and Reading Mon Go Out
ss rort kichmond-rhe Strike likely
20 DO Made GsnoraL
On the anniversary of the big strike
iDaugurated ut Port Richmond lAss
ear, the Philadelphia and Reading
RAtlroad employees belonging to the
Knights Of Labor began another strike
on Friday under circumstances which
they claim they were reluctant TO take
coRnizsnce of.
The trouble began at Port Richmond
on Thursday over the discharge OF hve
crews OF freigE t.train men who had re-
fused to handle -four consigned to the
Philadelphia Grain Elevator Company,
ct William Street wharf, because of o
dispute over the payment Of stevedores'
wages. The company refused to rein.
state these men, aEd when an attempt
WAS made to fill their place on Friday
afternoon, and police and detectives
were sent to the scene to prevent inter.
ference. the GOAL handlers, numbering
nearly 1900 men, struck.
The facts concerning the strike, ss
stated by the men, ore briefly these:
The Philadelphia Grain Elevator Com
pAny, conducted by the Messrs. Tay lor,
having etevedore work to do, dispensed
with the services of Knights of Labor
stevedores who worked for Frank
Flood, . Philadelphia and Reading
Railroad contractor. at 30 cents an hour,
and employed new men for Is cents
per hour.
As there new men were non.union
men, the Knights of Labor steved ores,
who belonged TO Local Assem- bly, No.
1908, appealed to the Port Richmond
railroad employees, with whom they sre
closely connected, for sympathy. Sub
sequently on Tbureday, when some car
loads OF grain came into the Reading
yards for delivery to the Elevator Com.
pany, the crews OF certain shifting en-.
giuee refused to handle them, On this
account tho crews CT Ave engines, con
sisting of the engineer, conductor, Are
man and two brakemen each, were dis
charged.
The employees claimed that the work
which the crews were ordered to do
were really for the Reading Railroad
Company, and not for it as common
carriers.
On Thursday q com mittee from Port
Richmond GOAL Handlsrs' Local As.
sambly, No 6286, consisting OF Ambrose
FL sde, Master WorkmRn; Bernard j.
Sharkey and Heury I. Bennett, waited
upon General Superintendent s Sgeigard
zt the general office, on Fourth street,
and asked for the Reinstatement OF the
discharged crews. Their demand WAS
not accsded to.
Members of the committee declared
yesterday that no strihe would have en-
eued, even il the company had refut ed
to reinstate the crews, had an attempt
not been made TO ell their placss with
non-union men. The Port Richmond
employees went to work as usual yester.
Ia IN LOT
in the day when they found the yard
surrounded by policemen and detec-
tives.
About o'clock O tuGboat belonging
to tho Philadelphia aud Residing C8rn-
pany steamed up to the wharves and
landed enough men to snan engine No.
2SS, from which the regular Grew had
bsen discharged. These non union men
began the work of transferring the
grain, 1t is said, whica aggravated the
other employees and brought on the
strike in o short while afterward. The
signal TO stop work wag given by blow
ing the whistle of an engine. when all
the other engines, nun bering fftesn or
more, steamed up to the roun6-house.
As they arrived the Gre " diseE1 barked,
put cut the fires, drew the water from
the boilers, aud with the hundreds of
coal handlers left the yard.
After the strike became known the
following statement was given out by
the General Manager of the Reading
Company:
"The folio wing are the facts in regard
to the difficulty at Pert Richmond: On
Tuesday last tho shipping agent OF the
Heading Company at Port Richmond
was informed By the Master Workman
of the Knights of Labor that no more
cars would be put into the merchandise
warehouse of the Phiiadelphia Grain
Elevator Company, cooductsd by the
Messrs. Taylor, until such time ~ the
men employed by the elevator company
were removed and knights of Labor
employed to do their work.
"As 1t WAS the duty of the Reading
Company, as q common carrier to do !
liver merchandise to whomsoever It
mighs be consigned without regard to
any question between the cons!gnee anG
his employees. the General Manager 10
sued the following order: 81 am in
formed that several carloads OF tiosr,
consigned to the Philadelphia Grain
Elevator Company, are iu our Port
Richmond YARD, and that some or cur
men have refused TO move them. Give
orders that the cars be moved at once,
and II the men refuse discharge them
Immediately from the service of the
company"
"The five crews engaged in that ser
vice refused to move the cars, and on
Thursday afternoon they were promptly
On Friday the company
employed additional crews to move the
cars from the Port Richmond yard to
the elevator warehouse. The city, at
the request of the company, afforded
ample police protection, 229 officers and
men being upon the ground, and with
out interference OF any kind the crews
performed the duty of shifting the cars
70 tne place OF destination" l.sA
"sBrown's Bronchial Trocnes'
are excellent for the relief of hoarsenees
or aoro fhrnat Thav